Rear Admiral Alberto Díaz Jr. (born 1943) is the first

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to become the Director of the San Diego Naval District and Balboa Naval Hospital.

Early years

Díaz was born and raised in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, where he received his primary education. He completed his secondary education at

Cheshire Academy Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United ...

in Cheshire, Connecticut. After he graduated from high school, he applied and was accepted at

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in upstate New York. Subsequently, he transferred to

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in Washington, D.C., where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree.Navy News
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Naval service

After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree, he enrolled at

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, in

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, and earned a master's degree in psychology. Following that, he applied and was accepted to University of Barcelona Medical School in Barcelona, Spain. After earning his medical degree, Díaz joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and in 1976 was commissioned an officer. While serving in the Navy, he continued his education, doing his internship and residency in psychiatry at

Bethesda Naval Hospital The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as the Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med, is a United States' tri-service military medi ...

in Washington, D.C. His first post-graduate assignment in the Navy was Chief Resident at the Naval Center, Bethesda,

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. Then he was sent to the Naval Medical Regional Clinic,

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Development and Education Command,

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, where he served as staff psychiatrist and Clinical Director of the Alcohol Rehabilitation Service. Among other assignments which he has held are Chief, Department of Psychiatry as Fleet Liaison Officer and Chairman of the executive committee of the Medical Staff, Naval Hospital,

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. Díaz established and served as Director of the Navy's only Alcohol Rehabilitation Service in Europe. During

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, he was ordered to the 1st Medical Battalion, 1st FSSG, at

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Naval Medical Center San Diego

In 1998, Díaz was assigned as Commander of the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, becoming its first Hispanic Commander as well as Lead Agent TRICARE Region Nine. As Commander of the

Naval Medical Center San Diego Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD), also known as Bob Wilson Naval Hospital and informally referred to as "Balboa Hospital", or "The Pink Palace" (because the stucco of the first buildings that were constructed was pinkish in color), is a tech ...

(NMCSD), he was in charge with providing leadership and management of the command, planning, directing and administering the operations of NMCSD. He was also responsible for the professional care and services provided to the patients in the Medical Center. As Lead Agent

TRICARE Tricare (styled TRICARE) is a health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. Tricare provides civilian health benefits for U.S Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents, ...

Region Nine, his role was to advance the partnership and communication between the military health system leadership, military treatment facilities, the managed care support contractor and the civilian network to provide beneficiaries access to a high-quality integrated healthcare delivery system. In 1999 the appointment to Rear Admiral was confirmed by the senate. Díaz held these positions until July 10, 2002, when he was transferred to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and named Chief of Staff/Program Executive Officer Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Díaz retired from the Navy on June 13, 2003, at a ceremony held at the

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in Bethesda, Maryland.

Later years

Rear Admiral Alberto Díaz Jr. retired from the Navy in 2003 and currently resides in

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with his family. He is a member of Annapolis Center Board of Directors and serves as a spokesman on the subject of health issues. In 2002, ''Hispanic Business magazine'' selected Díaz as one of the most influential Hispanics in the United States On February 12, 2004, SAIC's Enterprises (Science Applications Incorporated) and Health Solutions Business hired Díaz and five other retired senior military healthcare leaders to serve in its newly founded Military Health System.News release: SAIC Launches Military Health System Advisory Council
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Awards and recognitions

Among the many awards and recognitions which Díaz has received are the following: * Legion of Merit ribbon

Legion of Merit with Gold Star * Meritorious Service Medal ribbon

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: * Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Me ...

with Gold Star *

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation ribbon

Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issues its own version of the Commendation Medal, with a fifth ...

Navy_Meritorious_Unit_Commendation_ribbon

Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...

Fleet Marine Force Ribbon *

National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...

Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon An Overseas Service Ribbon is a service military award of the United States military which recognizes those service members who have performed military tours outside the borders of the United States of America. There are different versions of the ...

Navy Expert Pistol Shot Medal ''( Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon with Expert Device)''

Early years

Naval service

Naval Medical Center San Diego

Later years

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

Further reading